This is brought about largely by the procurement issues highlighted by Mr Little.

Only on the procurement issue has a partial accord been reached.

But, because of procurement issues, the first equipment will go to the ACS units for the deployments to Barwhon and Diess.

He served in the United States Marine Corps as an assistant to future Navy secretary James V. Forrestal working on penicillin production and procurement issues.

Another common procurement issue is the timing of purchases.

Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the authority, said that "we will be happy to work with the city on procurement issues."

Hideo Matsui, a director familiar with procurement issues at the Defense Agency, said that the agency hopes to "shift to a competitive environment."

Sir Peter Gershon, who will lead on looking at procurement issues, said:

We think more attention could be paid to public procurement issues, and we think some of the detailed measures proposed need to be reviewed and discussed further.

"She knows where the bodies are buried," said Eric Miller, senior defense investigator for the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington nonprofit group that studies military procurement issues.